Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, the party spokesperson, leads the faction charging the party president, Patrick Oboi Amuriat, and secretary-general, Nandala Mafabai, with accepting money from President Yoweri Museveni during the 2021 general elections.
Ssemujju called on party members to reject the ongoing election to fill party positions, arguing that participating in the election would support Nandala and Amuriat in aligning FDC with the ruling NRM. Along with 17 other senior party leaders, Ssemujju urged Amuriat and Nandala to step down, allowing the party to conduct free and fair elections without undue influence.
This week, Dr Kizza Besigye, the former FDC party president, expressed strong disapproval of an Elder’s Reconciliation Committee report. This committee, established by Amuriat to investigate the money issue, was led by former Kagoma MP Dr Frank Nabwiso and released its report recently. Besigye dismissed the report, claiming it lacked credibility and failed to establish essential facts.
“The committee of elders did not make the slightest attempt to establish the facts; zero. Inspite of my having pleaded with them, to do so. They did not look at party accounts, party records, they did not improve the knowledge we had before they were formed…this report is not worth the paper it was written on,” Besigye said.
The report indicated that in September 2020, Nandala kept Shs 300 million with Besigye, stating it was from his personal account to avoid potential seizure by the Uganda Revenue Authority due to pending tax obligations.
AFTER CURRENT TIME
Besigye’s suspicions were aroused when the money was delivered to his home after the 10pm curfew imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Later, he received information that the money originated from State House and that Nandala had also given Eng Patrick Oboi Amuriat Shs 280 million, a fact Amuriat confirmed to Besigye.
Efforts to address the money issue within the party proved futile until Besigye brought it before the National Council of the FDC in November 2022. Subsequently, a committee was appointed, but Besigye questioned its impartiality as it was appointed by the accused and reported back to them.
Besigye clarified that his concern was not personal conflicts with Nandala but, rather, the money that Nandala had introduced into the party. He criticized the committee of elders for failing to investigate party accounts and records, rendering their report worthless. Throughout the 2021 electoral period, neither Besigye nor the party president knew the true source, amount, or terms of the money, despite Nandala’s suggestion that it was borrowed.
When interacting with the committee in June 2023, Besigye emphasized the importance of investigating these key issues
to serve the best interests of the party. The crisis within the FDC underscores the necessity of impartial investigations and transparency to foster unity and progress.
“I think part of the weakness of this committee is due to the fact that it was appointed by the accused (Amuriat and Nandala) and would report to the same accused. In fact, it was inaugurated by the accused and on the inauguration given the task that they were supposed to do,” said Besigye.
According to the committee report, during its inauguration on June 5 by the party president, he informed members that their main task was to help bring about reconciliation between the two mentioned leaders and “accordingly implored the members to exercise impartiality in handling the investigation process so that the Party can remain intact, and move forward more peacefully with greater hope.”
Besigye revealed that the money he received from Nandala was in bundles of Shs 20 million, consisting of 20,000-shilling notes. He noticed that the serial numbers on the money resembled those used by Bank of Uganda for transactions with security agencies and State House. According to Besigye, this money is part of President Yoweri Museveni’s plan to destabilize opposition forces.
Museveni has allegedly expressed his intention to eliminate opposition parties by 2021, and Besigye believes that providing financial support to opponents is one of the means he uses to control the electoral process.
“You have seen him bragging that by 2021 there will be no opposition. That’s what he was hoping to achieve by 2021. By what means was he intending to achieve that? You heard what was going on in DP [Democratic Party]. Where the money goes you see a change in approach,” Besigye said.
NRM MONEY MEANS NO GOOD
Besigye further stated that the influx of money from Nandala has caused dysfunction within the FDC party. He claimed that key party organs like the National Executive Committee and the National Council are under siege due to what he referred to as a coup orchestrated by Nandala. The party’s operations are now governed by decrees, diverting focus from the primary goal of challenging the NRM government.
During the committee’s proceedings, Amuriat, Nandala, and Ekanya all refuted any receipt of money from State House, as they provided their statements. However, the report acknowledged that the FDC had indeed received funds from an anonymous lender. Unfortunately, the report did not specify the exact amount received or how the funds were allocated.
Additionally, the report shed light on a prevailing practice within the FDC of not disclosing all sources of its funds, which is a common occurrence in political parties worldwide due to limited income raised from party members.
During a press conference on Monday, Dr Besigye denied Nandala’s claim that the money kept with him was meant for polling agents. Instead, Besigye asserted that Nandala confided in him that he was handing over the money due to fears of the revenue authority (URA) demanding payment from his company.
Nandala was concerned that if the money remained in his account, URA could seize it through the powers of garnishment, where they can confiscate owed taxes directly from one’s account, making it difficult to recover.
Besigye emphasized that if Nandala had stated that the money was intended for party agents, it could have easily been deposited into the party’s account, as the FDC did not face any financial issues. He questioned the reason for keeping the money for an extended period since the election was scheduled for January 2021, and such funds could have been utilized accordingly.
Amidst internal conflicts, internal elections are scheduled to take place. Some party members, including Erias Lukwago, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, Francis Mwijukye, and Harold Kaija, demanded a halt to the elections until the money issue was resolved and the party electoral organ was organized properly. However, Nandala, Amuriat, and their supporters insisted on proceeding with the elections, which reportedly began on July 21.
RESCUE THE PARTY
Besigye argued that conducting elections amidst the ongoing crisis within the party was unnecessary and discredited reports suggesting that elections were held in certain areas of the country.
He proposed that the National Council reconvenes and establishes a transitional leadership, whose primary task should be appointing experts to conduct a forensic audit of party resources and investigate party management. Only then, according to Besigye, can fair elections be organized.
Besigye expressed concern about the party being under siege and called upon its members to step up and rescue it. He mentioned plans by dissatisfied party members to mobilize and save the party, and the People’s Government would also support these efforts alongside their ongoing struggle to rescue the country.
“Two processes going forward are critical; the liberation of the party… and the liberation of the country. And the reason we must combine them is because, those who captured this country can never be weaker than they are today,” Besigye said.
By press time it was impossible to speak to either Nandala or Amuriat as none returned calls to their known numbers.
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